The present study investigated the effects of cognitive linguistics (CL)-informed instruction on the L2 learning and processing of matched and mismatched prepositional phrases. An acceptability judgement test (AJT) containing 180 target items across 12 prepositional usages assessed behavioural and neural responses to semantic anomalies involving in, at, and over. Forty-six Chinese learners of English were recruited. Of these, 44 completed the pretest, a 60-minute computer-assisted training, and the posttest, thereby providing complete behavioural data; 41 also provided usable ERP data. Learners were randomly assigned to either CL-informed instruction, which provided schematic diagrams and cognitive-semantic explanations, or traditional definition-oriented instruction, which provided rule-of-thumb definitions and exemplars. Twelve L1 English speakers were recruited, of whom 11 contributed usable comparison data. Behaviourally, the CL-informed group showed greater improvements in accuracy than the traditional group for target and distractor prepositions. ERP analyses revealed instruction-by-time differences in N400 responses to distractor and unacceptable prepositions, indicating different changes in sensitivity to semantic anomalies. In post-training comparisons, the CL-informed group did not differ significantly from the L1 group in accuracy or reaction time, whereas the traditional group remained less accurate in the distractor and unacceptable conditions. For the ERP measures, the CL-informed group did not differ significantly from the L1 group on the analysed components, whereas the traditional group showed reduced P600 amplitudes in specific sentence conditions. 

This study employs Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to examine how two Chinese university teachers learn as they use the Understanding Contemporary China textbook series for the first time. Findings reveal that teacher learning is driven by a dynamic hierarchy of four levels of contradictions: From teachers’ initial doubts about the textbook’s purpose, to tensions concerning specialized knowledge, student participation, and institutional rules, and further extends to tensions with the established teaching routine and overall curriculum design. To resolve these contradictions, teachers drew on mediational means that progressed from external resources (training sessions, expert consultation, official materials) to internalized professional judgment, reflecting a shift from other-regulation to self-regulation. Crucially, the two teachers faced similar contradictions; however, their differing curriculum traditions, rooted in divergent pedagogical norms between interpretation and translation courses, led them to perceive and resolve tensions differently. This resulted in distinct learning processes and practical outcomes. These findings contribute to understanding how contradictions in ideologically oriented reforms can trigger transformative teacher learning and emphasize the role of curriculum tradition as a mediating factor in shaping professional development under reform.

Pre-task planning is one of the widely used approaches to improve second language (L2) fluency in task-based language teaching (Ellis et al., 2020). However, the effect of the language used in pre-task planning on L2 speech fluency remains underexplored. The current study employed a between-participants design to compare the effects of planning languages at three levels: L1 planning, L2 planning, and no planning (a control group), across a narrative task on four measures of L2 speech fluency among 84 Chinese EFL learners. The study also investigated the moderating role of L2 proficiency. Results revealed that L1 planning significantly improved speech rate and marginally reduced between-clause pauses, while L2 planning showed weaker, marginally significant effects. Neither language of planning condition significantly affected within-clause pausing or repair fluency. In addition, within-group correlation analyses revealed that higher L2 proficiency in the L1 planning group was strongly correlated with all fluency measures. Pedagogical implications are discussed in terms of how to optimize L2 speech fluency in different planning languages across different L2 proficiency levels.

The present study investigates GenAI-mediated vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) among Chinese university English learners by integrating measurement validation and person-centered analysis. A sample of 593 Chinese EFL students completed a 24-item questionnaire assessing four strategy dimensions: AI-assisted lexical discovery, AI-supported lexical elaboration, AI-mediated metacognitive regulation, and AI-based lexical activation. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a correlated four-factor structure with strong reliability and acceptable convergent validity, although high inter-factor correlations suggested closely integrated constructs. Latent profile analysis identified three learner groups, including low-to-moderate, moderate-to-high, and high strategy users. Profile comparisons revealed that higher-use groups reported greater AI experience, higher self-rated proficiency, and stronger vocabulary-related performance. No significant differences were found for gender or year of study. The findings extend VLS research into AI-mediated contexts, highlighting the importance of strategic engagement and supporting a reconceptualization of vocabulary learning as a dynamic human–AI interactional process.

As one of the pioneering applications of machine learning for quantitative data analysis in applied linguistics, this study investigates the predictive power of linguistic features on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing quality. To overcome the limitations of traditional linear regression,  specifically multicollinearity and non-normal data distributions, we employed a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) neural network to analyse 96 essays from Chinese secondary school students. The model evaluated the relative predictive importance of various lexical, syntactic, fluency, and accuracy features. Demonstrating exceptional fit, the neural network accounted for approximately 80% of the variance in overall writing scores with no evidence of overfitting. Sensitivity analyses revealed that lexical diversity was the most robust predictor of writing quality (100% normalised importance), followed by grammatical accuracy (60.4%). Conversely, syntactic complexity, text length, and lexical sophistication exhibited comparatively minimal influence. These findings underscore the critical role of vocabulary diversity in evaluating adolescent EFL writing, while successfully establishing neural networks as a powerful, innovative methodological tool for future applied linguistic research.

This article describes what could be in a course in training learners how to learn. It covers four strategies, repeated spaced retrieval, learning though use, deliberate learning, and mnemonic devices. Although the main focus is on language learning, the strategies can also be applied well beyond that, and examples are provided from learning vocabulary (learning items), learning economics (subject/content knowledge), and learning to drive a car (skill). The strategies are based on three principles of learning – focus of attention, quantity of attention and quality of attention. The article includes detailed instructions and tasks covering learning, application and analysis for running a workshop on learning how learn that can be used for a short intensive course or for including as a regular part of a teaching program. The tasks are ready to use with possible answers provided.

At one point considered to have been the most densely populated place on earth, nearly thirty years after its demolition, Hong Kong's Walled City of Kowloon continues to be a topic of significant cultural memorialization and lively academic discussion. Yet despite the researchers' best efforts, its origin and early history continue to be riddled with fundamental inaccuracies. Tracing back to key primary sources, this article upholds that the Walled City was selectively built by the Chinese on empty government land between late 1846 and 1847, systematically arguing that it was therefore not an architectural palimpsest with an undue “centuries-old” history. Seeking to bring clarity as to “why” predominant academic discourses to date have differed, the article scrutinizes two of the most influential published narratives on the topic by Elizabeth Sinn and Julia Wilkinson, demonstrating how a fundamental lack of integration of key primary sources has resulted in the current state of knowledge. Closely aligned with and committed to efforts to decolonize the historical record, the article also proposes that such sources should be made more accessible for proper study, in the hope that narratives about the Walled City's origin and early history take account of the perspectives of those who built it.

The syntactic function of the sentence-final de has been widely discussed in the academic circles. In the Lianjiang and Maoming dialects of western Guangdong, the corresponding form of the sentence-final de is ge [kɔ³³], which is equivalent to de3 in Mandarin and highly parrallels de3 in development trajectory. The [kɔ] at the end of a sentence in the dialects of western Guangdong has a dual nature. It can be analyzed as a structural particle while conveying a broad confirmation tone. When expressing assertion and confirmation, two [kɔ]s can appear at the end of the sentence, representing an intermediate stage in the evolution of [kɔ] from a structural particle to a modal particle. The co-occurrence phenomenon exists not only in the Cantonese dialects of western Guangdong but also in the Hakka dialect of Anyuan (Kongtian) in Jiangxi. This dialectal fact confirms the evolution process of “structural particles>modal particles” and provides important clues for the discussion of Mandarin de and other related issues.

The morpheme po55 in the Yanzhou (Jiande) dialect functions as either a verb of giving or an object marker (Cao 2017). In the former case, po55 patterns with the ditransitive verb gěi in Mandarin Chinese, where the mode of transfer is semantically underspecified, while in the latter case, po55 marks distinct thematic roles of the post-po55 NP, akin to bǎ. The multifunction of po55 results from the grammaticalization pathway from verb of giving/helping to object marker, as defined by Chappell (2007). Through the extensive comparison with bǎ and bǎ-sentences in this paper, we argue that the post-po55 NP must be affected in a specific way and is always associated with the resultative state, due to the realization of the event denoted by the VP. By employing the linking framework in Randall 2010, we propose a unified treatment of po55 based on causativity, which ultimately leads to the conclusion that causativity constitutes the crucial component of the underlying Conceptual Structure of po55, while the morpheme po55 is lexicalized as a strict causative item, albeit its dual status in the grammar.

Gong Yan (born in 1974) is known as a spiritual “master” throughout China today because of his “Unitive spirituality of Taiji,” which he also calls the “Interior Taiji.” The number of religious sisters, seminarians, priests, and laypeople who have followed his formation is impressive. It is a spiritual practice that integrates modern psychology with the traditional Chinese philosophical concept of Taiji. This concept can also provide a new interpretation for Trinitarian theology, Christology, and theological anthro-pology. In this paper, the author will present how Gong Yan systematizes his spirituality by articulating Chinese Taiji philosophy, modern psychology, theology, and Christian spirituality in order to explore what inspiration his innovative theories and practices can offer to the Christian theological and spiritual tradition.